Tanfield Parish Council MINUTES of a PARISH COUNCIL MEETING
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Tanfield Parish Council MINUTES OF A PARISH COUNCIL MEETING DATE: Tuesday 1st October 2013 TIME: 19.00 hrs LOCATION: West Tanfield Memorial Hall PRESENT: Councillors Peter Hull (Chairman), David Parkinson (Vice-Chairman), Steven Houston and Chris Pennock. IN ATTENDANCE: Iona Taylor (Clerk) Ambrose Almack, Bob Trewhitt and Stephen Bennett 1. WELCOME FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE PARISH COUNCIL Councillor Hull welcomed all those present to the meeting. 2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST IN ITEMS ON THE AGENDA – none. 3. APOLOGIES – none. 4. QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC – none. 5. MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING The minutes of the last meetings held on 10th July 2013 were agreed and signed as a true record. 6. ITEMS CARRIED FORWARD FROM THE LAST MEETING 6.1 Sewerage issues. No further information has been received from Yorkshire Water or Julian Smith MP. The following information has been received from Nosterfield resident, Ms Bailey: “[Yorkshire Water] arranged all the tests. I believe a blockage was found and the drains were cleared. The only on-going problem is the awful smell coming from the traps, the drain is clear it’s just the traps. Various advised solutions have been tried. I also brought to Yorkshire Water’s attention the noise coming from the pumping station during some nights … this sounds like machinery under pressure.” These comments have already been forwarded to Yorkshire Water and will also be passed to Hambleton District Council’s Environmental Health department. 6.2 Insurance review. As the Clerk has been unable to obtain an accurate replacement value on the bus shelters in West Tanfield and Nosterfield, premium quotations have been obtained based on assumed increased valuations. To fully insure the buildings for £20,000 would cost an additional £82 per year. It was agreed, provided that all liability is covered under the current terms of the policy, not to proceed to change the levels of cover. Investigations will be made in to the possibility of local businesses sponsoring the bus shelters to meet this increased cost in return for advertising opportunities. 7. BONFIRE AND FIREWORKS EVENT After considering the responses to a recent survey of public opinion it was agreed to proceed with a 2013 event. This will take place on 1st November 2013, from 6.30pm at Lafarge Tarmac’s Nosterfield Quarry visitor centre. It was agreed that £750 will be spent on fireworks. The costs of the event should be covered by sponsorship and takings on the night. It was agreed that any profits will be donated to West Tanfield Memorial Hall. The Clerk and Councillors Houston and Pennock will liaise to confirm all other arrangements including publicity, sponsorship, catering, safety, insurance etc. The potential for another body, possibly the West Tanfield Tour de France legacy group, to take over the event’s organisation from 2014 was discussed and it was felt that this would be welcomed by the Parish Council. 8. TOUR DE FRANCE PREPARATIONS 8.1 Future links with the Mayor of Fontenay-le-Marmion. It was resolved that the Parish Council should send a letter to the Mayor of Fontenay-le-Marmion in France with a view to forging future links. The West Tanfield Tour de France organising committee will provide the wording for the letter. Minutes – 1st October 2013 Page 1 of 5 Chairman’s Initials: Tanfield Parish Council MINUTES OF A PARISH COUNCIL MEETING 8.2 Other issues relating to the Tour de France. Stephen Bennett reported that plans for July 2014 are being finalised. The organising committee’s meetings are open to the public and a Parish Council representative is welcome to attend. Councillor Hull enquired as to whether planning permission is required for the sunflowers being displayed around West Tanfield. 8.3 West Tanfield website. The new village website www.west-tanfield.com was noted. It was agreed that the Council’s Facebook and Twitter hub pages should be wound down as a result of the duplication with the new site. 9. 2014/15 BUDGET It was noted that it will soon be time for the Parish Council to set its budget and agree the precept requirement for the 2014/15 financial year. It was agreed that a consultation of residents should be carried out to help determine the Council’s budget priorities for this period. 10. MAINTENANCE 10.1 Street cleaning on Main Street, West Tanfield. Correspondence with Nicola Bennett, a resident of Main Street, about her concerns of inadequate street cleaning and adverse conditions in this area was noted. It was noted that the Clerk continues to request that Hambleton District Council attend to clean the pavements and gutters on a six weekly cycle. In line with previous information it was noted that the District Council’s resources are scarce and the Parish Council can only expect them to visit each area once a year. Ms Bennett has been urged, in line with the Parish Council’s fault protocol, to contact Hambleton District Council directly. Information has also been provided to Ms Bennett as to how groups of local residents can carry out minor works, such as sweeping pavements, safely. The Parish Caretaker has also been asked to sweep up leaves during the peak autumn period later this month, but it was noted that they are only contracted for five hours per month. It was agreed that the Parish Council should go out to tender to obtain quotations for regular street cleaning. This information will then be used to consult with residents (see item 9). 10.2 Grasscutting specification for 2014. It was resolved that the Clerk and Councillor Houston should draw up a draft specification and tender documentation for approval via e-mail by other Councillors. It was agreed that this should include a variety of options for future consideration by the parish public and be based upon accurate location plans. 10.3 Common areas of land. Consideration of this item was deferred pending the receipt of a legal opinion from the National Association of Local Councils. 10.4 Sale of Billy Goat mower. It was noted that the mower is not yet back in the Parish Council’s possession and is now thought to be broken. The Clerk had been able to speak to Brian Porteus prior to the meeting. Mr Porteus has advised that he will deliver to the mower to Joblings from where it can be picked by Councillor Houston for inspection. 10.5 Caretaker’s task list. It was noted that the caretaker is currently being asked to overhaul Becca’s Bench in West Tanfield play area, sweep the pavements along Main Street in West Tanfield, clear Burnt Lane next to St. Nicholas’ church and cut the verge on Nosterfield Road. 11. HIGHWAYS 11.1 Speeding on Main Street, West Tanfield. In view of ongoing comments and complaints from members of the public it was agreed that the Hambleton Community Safety Partnership should be asked to carry out new checks through the Speed Matrix Group’s process. 11.2 Condition of B6267. A lacklustre response to the Parish Council’s complaint through William Hague MP has been received. The following points, contained in the response, were noted: The B6267 through Tanfield Parish is a Category 3b road. Minutes – 1st October 2013 Page 2 of 5 Chairman’s Initials: Tanfield Parish Council MINUTES OF A PARISH COUNCIL MEETING All the surfaced roads in the County are surveyed at least every two years. In addition to the £50,000 works specifically identified in the capital programme for this road, there is a two kilometre section of this road (between Sutton Howgrave and Thornborough) which is also planned to receive substantial structural patching this year (2013/14) using monies from the patching allocation, which at the time was not finalised. This structural patching work is in advance of a surface treatment which is likely in two years’ time. The B6267 west of the A1 has received in the region of £450,000 worth of resurfacing works in the last five years. The County Council does seek to obtain appropriate and proportionate contributions to the maintenance or roads from developers who will increase the HCV use of a route. It was agreed that whilst the Parish Council does not disagree with any of the above points, the County Council’s position does little to tackle the generally poor and deteriorating condition of the whole road between Masham and A1. It was agreed that investigations should be made in to having the road reclassified, perhaps as an A road, giving it a status befitting the volume of traffic using it. This would be in line with its gritting priority and may help the road to attract increased further funding for repairs. 11.3 Memorial bench in Thornborough. A request has been received from a Thornborough resident wishing to site a memorial bench on the pavement near the noticeboard. The procedure for doing this would mean that an application to the Highways department would need to be made by the Parish Council, who would remain responsible for the bench and its future maintenance. It was agreed that this is an unsuitable location for a bench, due to the narrow pavement, and that Councillor Houston should speak to the resident concerned about alternative sites and mechanisms for covering any future costs. 11.4 Highways fault sheet. The following points were noted: Ref: Fault Status / Update TPC 6-12 Demolished village sign, Nosterfield. 24.7.13 – To be installed within 3-4 weeks. Not yet done, being pursued with Highways North Yorkshire. TPC 7-12 Bend warning sign - Main Street, West 10.7.13 – To be escalated and repaired without delay.